"Right."
"Young master, please don't say that."
" Hongxiu, I'm serious."
"Although my father won't give me money, I'll earn the thousand taels myself."
How will you earn that?
She looked at the fresh red marks on his hands, her voice hoarse.
"You think you can do chopping wood, carrying water, and repairing roofs? You're the young master, how can you do this kind of work every day?"
Pu Yunshan fell silent.
Qin Hongxiu stood up and walked to him.
"The sword of the young master of Mount Qingcheng belongs in the martial world."
"Young Master used his sword to cut through the railing today because of Hongxiu, Hongxiu is already very frightened."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"I'm afraid the young master will end up losing everything."
Pu Yunshan looked down at her.
Qin Hongxiu was very close, and there was a faint scent of soapberry in her hair.
She reached out and gently touched the abrasions on the back of his hand.
"Does it hurt?"
"What's this?"
"It hurts just looking at Hongxiu, young master. Why do you always endure it? Aren't you afraid of making others feel sorry for you?"
She fetched the ointment and pulled Pu Yunshan's hand to sit down.
The ointment felt a little cool when applied, Pu Yunshan curled his fingers, but ultimately couldn't bear to pull them back.
" Hongxiu."
"Um."
What does your brother need the money for?
"Gambling, drinking, making friends."
Where is he?
Qin Hongxiu lowered her eyes.
" Hongxiu is also looking."
Pu Yunshan did not ask any further questions.
She pawned her jewelry and sold herself for three years, but her younger brother has vanished without a trace. If he were to encounter such a scumbag, he would surely drag him to Hongxiu's doorstep.
"Where is everyone? The water tank in the backyard is empty again!"
The madam's shrill voice rang out.
Pu Yunshan stood up and smiled at Qin Hongxiu.
"I'm going to work. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
Half an hour later, the sun set.
The Flower-Between Pavilion became lively, filled with the cheerful laughter of young women and their patrons.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from the doorway. The patrons moved their stools and looked into the front hall. The wooden floorboards creaked underfoot, and even the cold teacup by the window rippled.
The madam greeted him at the top of her lungs, her face creased with wrinkles, calling him " Master Wei " repeatedly, more warmly than if she were seeing her own father.
"Oh, you've come! The Flower-Between Pavilion is brighter tonight. Which place would you like tonight—"
"I heard Hongxiu signed a death contract? Does that mean I can do whatever I want with her from now on? Is she around?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
The madam, halfway through her sentence, remembered that Pu Yunshan hadn't left yet, so she quickly swallowed the rest of her words and gave a wink to the pimp guarding the stairwell.
A fat man in a brocade robe with a mink collar sat in the main seat, followed by four broad-shouldered servants. He tossed a pearl the size of a thumb onto the counter and then placed fifty taels of silver on it.
The pearl rolled twice and came to rest next to the ledger.
"This is the deposit."
Master Wei picked up his wine cup and tapped his greasy fingers on the table.
"Tonight I'm hiring Qin Hongxiu. Tell her to be smart and come with me, or she'll spoil my fun."
The madam picked up the pearl, her eyelids almost disappearing from her smile.
"Don't worry, Master Wei. Miss Hongxiu is the top courtesan in our establishment. She knows the rules and will certainly serve you well tonight."
Just then, Pu Yunshan, carrying his toolbox, was about to leave when he overheard the words " Hongxiu knows the rules."
He stood still, toolbox in hand.
Qin Hongxiu had just been applying medicine to him and asking if his hand hurt, but in the blink of an eye, this group of people took out a bead and fifty taels of silver, wanting to treat her like something that could be put on the wine table.
A young maidservant ran downstairs, breathless, tears streaming down her face.
" Young Master Pu, please go and persuade Miss Hongxiu."
Pu Yunshan supported her arm, his hand still feeling the coolness of the ointment.
"What's wrong."
The maid took a couple of breaths, then tugged at her sleeve and pointed to the innermost part of the second floor.
" Master Wei... has come twice before. The girls are all afraid of him. When he drinks, he likes to torment people, and several of them do it together. When the girls were sent back, they couldn't get out of bed for half a month."
Pu Yunshan slowly loosened his grip.
The little maid squatted on the ground and cried intermittently.
"Miss Hongxiu said she wouldn't go, but her mother had previously said that the contract was in the building and she wouldn't have a chance to choose. She just pulled out some old scissors and said she'd rather cut her hair off and become a nun in a nunnery than go see Master Wei."
Master Wei in the front hall, slapped the table again.
Where are they?
The madam quickly smiled apologetically.
"They're coming, Master Wei. Don't be in such a hurry; a young lady always needs to change her clothes."
Pu Yunshan rushed up the stairs.
The stairs had just been repaired, and the planks still smelled of freshly planed pine. He didn't slow his pace, and the third step made a dull thud. The pimp on the second floor reached out to stop him, but he pushed his shoulder aside.
" Young Master Pu, you cannot go in!"
Pu Yunshan pushed him away.
"Get out of here."
He walked to Qin Hongxiu's door. The door wasn't closed properly, and a cold wind blew into the room through the window cracks, scattering the papers on the table everywhere.
There was no charcoal brazier inside, and the floor was freezing cold to the touch.
Qin Hongxiu, dressed in a faded plain dress, sat on a small stool by the window, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. She held a pair of tailor's scissors in her hand, the tips pressed against the ends of her hair, but she didn't sever them.
She heard footsteps and turned her face away.
Her eyes were wet, but her face still maintained its usual gentleness.
"Why is Young Master Pu back again?"
Pu Yunshan stepped through the door, closed the window, and the wooden window was tightly secured. He pressed down twice to lock it in place.
"Can't we refuse to accompany that Master Wei?"
"The death contract is in Mom's hands."
Qin Hongxiu placed the scissors on the table, her fingertips touching the edge, and didn't look at him again.
"Whether I go or not is not my choice."
Pu Yunshan stared at the pair of scissors, the fire burning in his chest growing stronger.
What are you doing with those scissors?
Qin Hongxiu smiled faintly, but the smile seemed forced.
"Get a haircut."
"With her hair gone, Master Wei can't exactly force a nun to drink with him."
Don't do anything foolish.
"A foolish thing?"
She looked up, and tears finally rolled down her face, splashing onto the cuff of her plain dress and spreading a small patch of dark color.
" Young Master Pu, hasn't Hongxiu done enough foolish things in her life? Paying off her brother's debts, repaying other people's debts, making money for the Flower-Between Pavilion, and in the end, she can't even have a single night of her own."
Pu Yunshan stood still, his molars aching from grinding against the ground.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Qin Hongxiu reached out and pushed him away.
"You can leave now."
I'm not leaving.
"If you stay here, you can shield me from Master Wei for one night, but what about tomorrow, and the day after?"
I'll kick him out for you!
Qin Hongxiu gave a wry smile, wiped her face, but instead of cleaning it, she rubbed the corners of her eyes red.
"If word gets out that the young master of Mount Qingcheng drew his sword for a courtesan, people will laugh at him for the rest of his life. Besides, swords can't save my life."
Pu Yunshan felt increasingly heartbroken as he thought about it, so he gritted his teeth, turned around, and walked out the door.
Qin Hongxiu watched his retreating figure, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress.
" Young Master Pu."
He stopped outside the threshold without turning around.
Where are you going?
Pu Yunshan had his back to her and spoke in a very low voice.
"Lend me money."
He finished speaking and rushed downstairs.
Qin Hongxiu sat in the room, listening to his footsteps as he walked downstairs.
In the front hall Master Wei was still urging them on, while the madam's laughter pierced through the floorboards, hurting one's ears.
She looked down at the pair of scissors, and after a long while, reached out and closed them.